The Lunch Bag Chronicles

About the Book

Every single day for six years, author, educator and father Don Sawyer scribbled stories, jotted jokes and pencilled pictures on his daughters' lunch bags. Part joke book, part journal and all good fun, The Lunch Bag Chronicles is a heart-warming journey of a dad keeping in touch with his two little girls, even when they were thousands of miles apart. Meet a cast of delightful characters including valiant vampires, silly snakes, dozy dragons and funny food. Reconnect with your own family through The Lunch Bag Chronicles. The jokes will make you giggle and the stories will remind you that being connected with the people you love is the most important bond of all.

About the Author

Don Sawyer is an author, educator and international development worker. He lives with his wife, Jan, and their dog Farley in Salmon Arm, British Columbia.

Recent Reviews

4 star review from CM Magazine, Canadian Reviews of Materials at the University of Manitoba

Even if you don't pack lunches in brown paper bags anymore, this wonderful book may inspire you to go looking for some the next time you are shopping. In this combination joke book and family chronicle, author and illustrator Don Sawyer shares some of the special lunch bag messages that he wrote over the years to his two young daughters. The introduction explains that Sawyer wrote and illustrated a message or rhyme each day until his daughters finished Grade 6 - over 1000 lunch bag messages.

I'm tempted to fill this entire review with examples of the jokes and rhymes, but you'll enjoy them more while looking at the colourful pencil crayon drawings that illustrated each lunch bag. The pages appear to be copies of the actual lunch bags, complete with illustrations, jokes, rhymes and the occasional error and correction (great modeling for would-be writers). Often, the joke is on one page, and you have to turn the page to see the back of the lunch bag with the answer.

In addition, many pages include a brightly coloured section at the bottom with information that explains some of the context of the jokes. For example, the page that asks, "Why do mother kangaroos hate rainy days?" includes the information that "one year Farish had a great exchange teacher from Australia.
The book is loosely organized into themed sections, such as "animal adventures" and "vampires, cannibals, witches and monsters" - surefire topics for junior jokesters.

Share this with a class, or better still with your own children, and you are sure to hear moans and groans for the puns and tons of laughter for the humour.

4/4 stars - Highly Recommended.

Suzanne Pierson is a retired teacher-librarian, currently instructing Librarianship courses at Queen's University in Kingston, ON.

One of the most charming, inspired and inspiring books I've ever come across. Such things are a rare find in this hurried and harried world of Tweeting, Facebook and other silly distractions. It is not only an example of devoted parenting, but a refreshing look at learning as play, and just good fun. It's the kind of book your kids will cherish once they're all grown up with kids of their own.

Chris Schon
Father, grandfather, educator and mensch

I laughed so hard, milk came out of my nose.

Mathieu Richmond, age 8

This is really is a lovely book. It is beautifully produced and a treat to read.

Karen Levine is a published author of children's books and young adult books. Some of the published credits of Karen Levine include Hana's Suitcase, Hana's Suitcase on Stage, Replays: Using Play to Enhance Emotional And Behavioral Development for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Succesful Launch of Lunch Bag Chronicles held September 18th.

It takes a village to raise a child and, as it turns out, to publish a book. Read more...